Valencia’s Late Goals Rally MetroStars
Adolfo Valencia scored his second goal of the game in the 93rd minute to give the New York-New Jersey MetroStars a 2-1 victory over New England on Saturday night in front of 12,688 at East Rutherford, N.J.
Valencia tied it in the 88th minute to help the Eastern Division-leading MetroStars (14-9-2) end a two-game losing streak. New England dropped to 9-11-6.
Valencia scored in overtime after Clint Mathis’ shot was knocked over the goal line by the New England defense. On the corner kick by Mathis, Valencia went high into the air to head the ball into the net. It was Valencia’s 13th goal of the season.
It appeared New England would pull out the victory when Wolde Harris scored his fifth goal in as many games after Mauricio Wright’s header on a corner kick in the 87th minute.
But the MetroStars fought back to even the match just a minute later when Mathis took a pass from Lothar Matthaeus and headed it to Valencia at the right post. Mathis, the MetroStars’ second leading scorer, did not start because of a sore ankle.
Harris just missed on a chance to win the game in injury time when his hard shot missed the right post by inches.
Matthaeus was playing his first MLS game in six weeks. He had hardly played since May because of injuries and commitments to Germany’s national team.
Miami 4, Colorado 1--Welton and Roy Lassiter scored goals a minute apart as the Fusion (9-11-5) defeated the Rapids (11-12-3) in front of 6,838 at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Miami was leading 2-1 when Welton scored on a rebound in the 82nd minute after Rapid goalkeeper David Kramer saved a shot by Lassiter.
Lassiter scored his sixth goal of the season less than a minute later to close it out.
Jim Rooney gave the Fusion a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute, sending a shot past Kramer from 15 yards out. Just three minutes later, Andy Williams made it 2-0 when he put the ball in the left side of the net, as Kramer was diving to the right.
Marcelo Balboa cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 54th minute, scoring past goalie Nick Rimando.
The Fusion’s four goals tied a franchise-record that has been reached four previous times. Miami swept the season series with Colorado, 3-0.
Colorado remained winless at Lockhart Stadium, the only venue where the Rapids have not won.
Tampa Bay 2, San Jose 1--Ritchie Kotschau scored the game-winner in the 77th minute, spoiling Giovanni Savarese’s debut with the Earthquakes (5-13-8), as the Mutiny (14-10-2) won in front of 9,156 at San Jose.
Kotschau took a pass from Carlos Valderrama down the left side, and angled a crossing shot toward the goal. The ball went over goalkeeper Joe Cannon’s head, hit the top of the right post and went into the back of the net for Kotschau’s first goal of the season.
The Earthquakes matched a club record with their fifth consecutive loss, despite holding a 23-8 advantage in shots.
Savarese, the MLS’ fifth all-time leading goal scorer, had an assist on Khodadad Azizi’s goal in the 52nd minute.
Mamadou Diallo, the league’s leading scorer, gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute with his 19th goal.
Dallas 1, Washington 0--Antonio Martinez scored his first MLS goal with three minutes to play giving the Burn (11-12-4) a victory over D.C. United (6-15-6) in front of 10,204 at Dallas.
Martinez, a 23-year old rookie from Cal State Fullerton, entered in the 67th minute. He took a shot that forced a diving save from goalkeeper Tom Presthus, then scored off the rebound.
United, which played without Marco Etcheverry, Ben Olsen and Bobby Convey, came close on only one occasion in the second half, on a long shot by Antonio Otero in the 76th minute that goalkeeper Matt Jordan stopped.
